Not A Word
by shippershape
Summary: Based on a tumblr prompt. Cameron falls asleep on Kirsten's shoulder. Linus is scared of Kirsten. Cameron thinks he's making real progress as the boss.


They've been working for hours, curled up on Cameron's couch. Sometime in the last half an hour Kirsten's head had drifted to rest on his shoulder, and she stayed like that because it's comfortable, and he's warm. Earlier, she had stitched in to their latest victim, Mallory Amhurst, and gotten the information they need to put a face to the killer. Unfortunately, they don't have a name to go with it, and Fisher's contacts at the police station have been unable to match their rendering to anyone in the database. Now they're scouring documents from Mallory's life, old yearbooks, social media, anything to identify their mystery killer.

It's three in the morning, and Kirsten only knows that because somewhere around five minutes ago she felt Cameron's head drop onto shoulder with a soft snore. Surprised, she'd stolen a glance at the clock on the wall. She can't feel how late it's gotten, obviously, but she isn't all that tired. Cameron, on the other hand, is clearly exhausted. He's been up late the last two nights helping Kirsten set up her new 4K tv and surround sound system, and she knows she's partially responsible for how tired he is now. So she lets him sleep, settling back into the couch with her tablet, flicking though the pictures on Mallory's Instagram.

The sun is just beginning to appear as a red glow on the horizon when Linus walks in. Kirsten's tablet tells her it's just past four. He rounds the corner, hands full of paper, and takes in the sight of Kirsten curled into Cameron, the scientist's head resting on her shoulder as he sleeps. His eyebrows shoot up.

"Well, well, well. I-"

"Shh." Kirsten hisses at him, angrily. She narrows her eyes, a silent threat. Looking afraid, Linus falls silent. Cameron has been working hard lately, harder than any of them, and he deserves to get at least a little sleep. Linus shrugs, making a zipping gesture across his mouth, then turns and disappears. This time, Kirsten hears the door close behind him.

.

Cameron wakes with a start. He blinks blearily at the sun streaming in through the window, telling him he's been asleep for at least several hours. As he moves to check his phone, he realizes his arm is pinned beneath something, or rather, someone. Kirsten snuffles softly into the fabric of his shirt, her face pressed into his collarbone. His heart gives a little kick seeing her like this, intimate and vulnerable. Terrified to wake her, he leans back into the couch. He doesn't make a move to get up, instead just enjoys having her curled into him like this, snuggling closer every minute or so.

He hears his door open, and the scuff of rubber on hardwood. Due to the fact that Camille and Maggie seem to exclusively wear heels, he assumes it must be Linus. Sure enough, his friend's face appears seconds later in the hallway.

"Hey-" Linus begins, grinning suggestively as he evaluates the pair on the couch. Cameron shakes his head, opening his mouth to speak. Linus takes one look at him and sighs, throwing his hands in the air. He steals a cold egg roll from one of the cartons on the table and walks back towards the front door, mumbling something about 'tyrants' and 'not morning people'.

.

Kirsten wakes up shortly after Linus leaves. She rubs the sleep out of her eyes, and opens them to find Cameron smiling down at her.

"Morning, Sunshine." He says. She can't help but smile back, doesn't really know why. He's wearing his glasses, which means he must have taken his contacts out at some point while she slept. It also means he's been up for a while.

"Good morning." She says. She really loves those glasses.

"I think we're late for work." He tells her. She grabs her phone and the time flashes across the screen. Eight forty-five. She groans.

"Can I use your shower?" She's already standing up as she asks, and he smells good from right beside her, so she assumes he's already had one. He nods, and she makes a run for it.

It's well after nine by the time they make it in, Kirsten's hair still wet. She strongly suspects Cameron has a hair dryer somewhere, but they didn't have time anyways. Maggie fills them in, after a brief lecture on punctuality. Kirsten only interrupts her twice to tell her that the reason they were late was because they were working all night. Beside her, Cameron muffles a snort.

Later, they all go for lunch. Linus clears his throat.

"So-" He grins. Kirsten tries to burn a hole in his head with her eyes. He falls silent. "I'm going to get some more ketchup." He finally mumbles, scurrying off to the condiment stand. Cameron stares after him thoughtfully.

"Did you see that?" He asks. Kirsten shrugs. "I think Linus might finally be respecting my authority around her a little more." He says, wonder in his voice. Kirsten chokes on her falafel.

"Sure, Girlfriend." She says, patting his arm. "I'm sure that's exactly what this is."


End file.
